Thursday, 12 February 2009

Oh the Horror!

It's almost cliché to point out when a US horror film is a remake. It sure feels like there are a lot of remakes out there but that makes me wonder if that is just the impression we get or is it the truth.

The only way to find out is to look! So I'm going to look, track and share - what's a remake and what isn't. Horror also has a long standing history of sequels and continutations so I'm going to look at that as well. Lets see if instincts hold true.

It's no surprize to any film fan to hear of an American remake of a foreign horror film, how many have there been since 2002 with Ringu remade as The Ring? There afterwards we had Ju-On: The Grudge and The Grudge. While Japanese films are often the source for remakes, we have also seen the brilliant Spanish horror film[REC] remade as Quarantine, the South Korean Janghwa, Hongryeon / A Tale of Two Sisters turned into The Uninvited. Even Canadian horror isn't safe with both Prom Night and My Bloody Valentine being remade in recent history. If this trend looking to the Great White North for inspiration wasn't enough, the beautiful Swedish vampire film Let the Right One In / Låt den rätte komma in is scheduled to be remade with a 2010 release date. Memory and research can unveil a lot but let's bring this back to the present. Let's keep an eye on our friends to the South and see what they get up to this year. For all of 2009 I'm going to keep track of all the American horror films released, and specifically to their inspiration. As horror also has a long standing history of sequels and continutations so I'm going to look at that as well. Lets see if instincts hold true.

Tally of American Horror films for 2009*: 47% Original / 53% Unoriginal

6 Remakes (29%)The Haunting in Connecticut - Based on a 2002 TV DocumentaryThe Last House on the Left - Remake of Wes Cravens 1972 The Last House on the LeftMy Bloody Valentine 3D - Remake of the 1981 Canadian My Bloody ValentineSorority Row - Remake of the 1983 House on Sorority RowStepfather, The - Remake of the 1987 film of the same nameUninvited, The - Remake of South Korean Janghwa, Hongryeon / A Tale of Two Sisters

5 Sequels/Continuations (24%)Final Destination 3-D, The - 4th installment and 1st 3D film of this horror film chain.Friday the 13th (2009) - One of a long line of sequels to the original Friday the 13th (1980)Halloween II - Sequel to Rob Zombie's 2007 remake of the 1978 John Carpenter classic horror film, however not a remake of Halloween 2Saw VI - 6th and final film in the Saw seriesUnderworld: Rise of the Lycans - 3rd release of Underworld Series (prequel)